If we work together, you will hear a lot about my disdain for labels. Not the labels themselves but the way we attach to them to dissuade our uncertainty. Many of labels become “pop” labels thanks to social media. This is one of those.

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The good news is that it’s about time trauma gets center stage. I think the surprise is that it always has been, at least for counselors. So, what does this mean? Does it mean read a book? Check. Does it mean become familiar with the work of Bessel van der Kolk? Check. Does it mean holding an advanced certificate? Check.

 

It needs to mean more than that. In fairness I think most counselors are trauma informed whether they call it that or not. All the things that impair us, that get in the way of being able to function well, these things are all a part of our story and often relate to our family of origin. Often these are unmet needs and sure they are in varying degrees but anything that has impaired us is a trauma (small “t”). Too often these are specific incidents or patterns of incidents that impair us in a extreme sense, and we think of these as Trauma (capital T). So, all the things counselors are helping us make sense of and heal from are trauma. But I agree there is value in having someone who has some personal experience understanding how their traumas have affected them and someone who has specifically used this language with clients. The good news is that thanks to Dr. van der Kolk (and others) this is a more mainstream conversation. Although to be fair his work is more specifically the physiological stress that affects some more than others in a post trauma environment.